"When I started writing programs in the late 80s it was pretty primitive and required a lot of study and skill. I was a young kid doing this stuff, the adults at that time had it even worse and some of them did start in the punch card era. This was back when programmers really had to earn their keep, and us newer generations are losing appreciation for that. A generation or two ago they may have been been better coders than us. More importantly they were better craftsmen, and we need to think about that." I'm no programmer, but I do understand that the current crop of programmers could learn a whole lot from older generations. I'm not going to burn my fingers on if they were better programmers or not, but I do believe they have a far greater understanding of the actual workings of a computer. Does the average 'app developer' have any clue whatsoever about low-level code, let alone something like assembly?

This pretty much says it all. I don't think anyone would like to work with someone like you. Good companies not only care about making money, but also about retaining their staff by promoting learning and freedom of expression.

You seem to have a rather disrespectful opinion about those people who ocasionally "reinvent the wheel". If the existing solution has deficiencies, there is every reason for people to come up with their own implementations. The call whether to use the existing code or roll your own is not just for you to make, it should be made by the team and the individual developers who are responsible for delivery and maintenance of the final product.